The Pakistani Instrument of Surrender () was a legal document signed between

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

(alongside the Provisional Government of Bangladesh) and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

to end the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Per the trilateral agreement, the Pakistani government surrendered the Armed Forces Eastern Command, thereby enabling the establishment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh over the territory of

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

. The document was signed by India's Lt. Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora and Pakistan's A. A. K. Niazi, and led to the surrender of 93,000 Pakistanis — the world's largest surrender in terms of number of personnel since

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Despite the agreement, Pakistan did not formally recognize Bangladeshi sovereignty until February 1974. The ratification of the agreement by all sides also marked the end of the

Bangladesh genocide The Bangladesh genocide was the ethnic cleansing of Bengalis residing in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the Bangladesh Liberation War, perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the Razakar (Pakistan), Razakars. It began on 25 March 1971, as ...

, perpetrated by Pakistan during the conflict. Bangladesh and the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...

celebrate Pakistan's 1971 defeat and surrender on an annual basis, observing 16 December as Victory Day.

Surrender ceremony

The surrender ceremony took place at the

Ramna Race Course Suhrawardy Udyan () is a national memorial and public space located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Originally known as Ramna Race Course, it holds significant historical importance due to its association with key events in the country's history. The sit ...

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

), on 16 December 1971: A. A. K. Niazi of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

formally surrendered to Jagjit Singh Aurora, an Indian Army officer and joint commander of the Bangladesh Forces. A. K. Khandker, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Forces, represented the Provisional Government of Bangladesh at the ceremony. Also present from the Pakistani Eastern Command were Mohammad Shariff of the Pakistan Navy and Patrick Desmond Callaghan of the Pakistan Air Force, both of whom signed the agreement alongside Niazi. Sagat Singh, Commander of the Indian IV Corps; Hari Chand Dewan, Commander of the Indian Eastern Air Command; and J. F. R. Jacob, Chief of Staff of the Indian Eastern Command; all acted as witnesses on behalf of

. Niazi accepted the surrender while the crowd on the race course promptly erupted in celebrations.

Text of the instrument

The document is now public property under the governments of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, and can be seen on display at the National Museum in the Indian capital of

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. The text of the Instrument of Surrender is as follows:

Sources

"Instrument of Surrender of Pakistani forces in Dacca", Hosted by Ministry of External Affairs, India

"The Separation of East Pakistan"

References

External links

* * {{1971 Indo-Pakistan War Dhaka in the Bangladesh Liberation War Military history of Bangladesh Liberation War Bangladeshi documents Indian documents Government documents of Pakistan Peace treaties of Bangladesh Peace treaties of Pakistan India–Pakistan military relations 1971 documents 1971 in Dhaka 1971 in India 1971 in Pakistan Peace treaties of India Treaties concluded in 1971 Treaties entered into force in 1971 Instrument of Surrender India–Pakistan treaties December 1971 in Bangladesh Trilateral relations